Don't Look Down

Chapter 20

Wilder moved to his position near the railing. A container ship pushed by two tugboats came around the bend in the Savannah River, approaching the city's riverfront, about a mile from the bridge. It was much larger than the one they had seen the other day, a real mother of a-

Screw me, he thought and punched in Crawford's number on his satellite phone even as he looked to the right and saw Nash standing at the edge, also staring at the cargo ship, weapon slung over his shoulder, fast-rope tied off to the railing next to him.

Crawford didn't sound happy. "What do you want?" The sound of a helicopter thudded in the background and Wilder knew Crawford was flying toward the meeting location.

"Letsky's art is on the damn cargo ship, isn't it?"

"No."

Liar, Wilder thought angrily. "Don't-"

Crawford cut him off. "Letsky thinks his art is on the ship. Finnegan thought it was. Nash thinks it is. Because we let it leak that it was. There's a container holding cases that look like the cases the art was in on board the ship."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What difference would it have made?" Crawford was speaking fast, trying to explain his way out of the shit hole he'd dug. "We never thought it would go this far. It was a setup from the very beginning to draw Letsky out to where we could get him. We thought that Finnegan and Letsky would try to steal the art off the ship on the high seas, where we could take them down with no civilians involved. The whole movie thing caught us off guard. That's why we had to scramble and put you on that set."

"The SEAL platoon?"

"They're with me. And they're not going to do a damn thing to stop Nash from taking the stuff. Their job is to take out Letsky."

"You're an asshole," Wilder said and hung up.

He looked at Nash, who seemed mesmerized by the approaching cargo ship. Three minutes, tops. Think fast, he told himself. If Nash looked in the containers to check them and found out the jade wasn't there… No leverage.

No Pepper.

Damn it, he thought and headed for the rail.

Tyler scanned the container ship through his thermal scope. It was almost abreast of his location, less than a hundred feet away, so large it was blocking off the view of the Savannah riverfront completely. There was a cluster of warm bodies on the bridge, but as far as he could tell, there was no one forward of midship.

He went back and leaned the sniper rifle against the metal door leading to the staircase and picked up another gun with a regular sight on it. There was enough light coming off the bridge, the town, and the spotlights on the ship itself, that he could check the containers stacked up on the deck. The source in Mexico had said the one they wanted would be on the top layer, starboard side, so it could be one of the first off.

"What are you doing?"

Tyler gritted his teeth and ignored her. He read letters and numbers, starting from the very front. Bingo. Fifth one back from the bow, on top, starboard. Tyler adjusted for distance and wind, then pulled the trigger. The specially loaded paintball arced through the air and splatted against the side of the container, marking it with a splotch of glowing chemical mixture.

"Cool. What'd you do that for?"

Tyler tossed the paintball gun away. He saw that the Kid was right next to the sniper rifle. "Get away from that."

The Kid started and hit the gun, which slid toward the roof.

"Damn it!" Tyler grabbed for it, but the rifle hit the ground. He picked it up, checking for damage, but there didn't appear to be any. He hissed at the Kid, doing his best gator imitation, and went back to looking at the ship.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Are you gonna shoot somebody?"

"Yeah. You."

There was a long silence and then he turned around.

She was sitting with her back against the wall, big tears rolling down her fat little filthy cheeks.

"Crybaby."

She sniffed and swallowed, smearing the tears off her cheeks with dirty palms. "Am not. You got any more Cheetos?"

"No." He turned back to the scope in time to see somebody move on the bridge, and his smile widened.

"Payday," he said to himself.

"I said do you got any more Cheetos?"

The Kid just never shut up. He took his drive-on rag, a strip of green cloth, grabbed her head, and wrapped it around her mouth.

"Should have done that a long time ago," he said as he gathered his gear.

She tried to claw it off, but he'd tied it good and tight. She began to gag, and then cry, and Tyler became worried that she'd choke on the rag. He'd never get his chopper if the little snot choked to death.

He ripped the cloth off. "Take it easy. Breathe." He put his hand under her chin and she sank her teeth into the fleshy part of his hand, and he reacted instinctively, his other hand hitting her on the side of the head. She dropped in slow motion, the momentum of the blow sending her rolling toward the roof edge.

Tyler grabbed her a split second before she went airborne.

Fuck. If she had gone, no chopper.

He threw her over his shoulder and headed for the stairs.

His fucking phone rang again. Fucking proof of life.

Tyler ignored it and hit the stairs.

Wilder felt the weight of the pack on his back, especially the pull of the long black case on the right side. He was tempted to take the case out, but it was too soon. He had to play this as long and as tight as he could because Pepper was out there. And the goddamn ghost wasn't answering his phone.

He could hear the chopper in the distance and looking to the east he could see its lights as it went in a holding pattern about a thousand feet away over the river. He "lanced over at Lucy at the monitors, her face grim as she listened to the phone ring. Still no answer.

Wilder went over to where Althea was handcuffed to the back door of the truck.

"How you doing, kid?" he said.

"Okay." She looked paler than usual, but she tried to smile.

"It's okay," he told her. "We're all watching out for you."

"I know," she said. "But, J.T.?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember that gun you showed me? The Clock?"

"I've got it right here," he told her to reassure her.

"Could I have it?"

"What?"

"You know, to give to Bryce? So he can save me." She smiled at him wanly.

"Uh, no," Wilder said, trying not to shudder at the idea of Bryce with live ammunition. "But he won't need it. He knows everything he has to without the gun. And he's got that big knife."

"Oh." Althea nodded. "Okay."

"Great." Wilder surveyed the bridge. Just the stunt people, Lucy, Gloom, and Bryce. Everybody else was gone, ordered off the bridge by Lucy half an hour earlier.

High Noon. The townspeople were clearing out.

"J.T.?" Althea said from behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Bryce can't see me if you're standing there."

"Right," Wilder said and moved out of the line of sight.

Lucy gestured to him and he turned on the small FM radio in his combat vest.

"There's no answer," he heard her say through the speaker, her voice tight. "I called, there's no answer."

Wilder looked out at the ship, getting closer. "He's on the move," he told her. "Give him five minutes and try it again."

"You sure-"

"Yes," he said, "start the stunt," and a minute later he heard her say, "Rolling."

There was no echo on the set. Nobody there to echo. Ghost town.

Then she said, "Action," and Wilder watched as Nash, dressed as Rip, reached up to the bulky block of fake explosives he had attached to the back door next to Althea and pressed a button while she screamed and struggled. A glowing red display began a countdown as Nash ran toward the fast-rope he had waiting.

Such a cliche, Wilder thought. Just get off the fucking bridge and out of Lucy's life.

Nash grabbed the thick fast-rope, wrapped his arm around it, and disappeared off the bridge, sliding down toward the deck of the ship as the bow passed underneath. Bryce came dashing forward, trying to be the hero, looking wildly back and forth. The bad guys had disappeared and his girl was trapped with a bomb. What should a hero do?

Save the girl, of course.

Wilder glanced over his shoulder, gave Lucy his best reassuring smile, then ran forward to the fast-rope and grabbed hold to go after the bad guy.

His girl knew how to save herself.

Lucy checked the monitor. No film in the camera but still a nice shot of the armored car. If she had an apple in her hand and Pepper beside her, it would be a good night.

Get her back, get her back-

She looked at it closer.

The detonator looked wrong. Any other day, shed have said, "What do I know from detonators?" but today was not that kind of day. "J.T.?" she said into her headpiece.

"What?" he said, sounding distracted, which he probably was, since he was somewhere between the bridge and the ship, descending fast.

"I don't think the detonator's right. It's smaller and it-"

"Tell Althea to get away from the truck." She heard a thump and Wilder's sharp intake of breath. "I'm on the ship."

"Well, get back here."

"Doesn't work that way-one-way rope. Gravity rules."

Lucy stood up. "Althea," she called. "We're going to go a different way with this shot. You can leave."

Althea nodded and tried to help Bryce unsnap the cuff. "It's stuck," she called back.

"The cuff is stuck," Lucy told J.T. over the radio as she started to run toward Althea. "What do I do?"

"Stuck?" J.T. swore, but his voice was low, almost a whisper. "It's not stuck, the asshole used real cuffs, which probably means real explosives. You-"

Lucy dropped the headset and ran for Althea. When she reached the car, there were sixty seconds on the detonator.

Lucy pulled the gun out of the holster under her shirt. "Hi, Al, how's it going?"

"Lucy?" Althea said, and then Lucy put the barrel on the chain and fired. Althea screamed and Lucy spun her around and yelled, "Run," and Althea and Bryce ran for the rail while Lucy went flat out for the monitors, yelling, "Get behind the truck," to Gloom, diving behind it with him just as the armored car exploded, catching a piece of hot metal on her cheek and something else on the back of her head.

Then she was on the ground behind the truck, hands over her head as metal rained down all around them.

Wilder was in the middle of the ship, crouched down on a container, MP-5 at the ready, when he heard the explosion from above. Hot metal went everywhere, sharp edges slicing through the air, heavy chunks thudding onto the river, steaming, and somewhere up there…

"Lucy?" Wilder whispered into the radio, more afraid than he'd ever been in his life.

Silence.

He swallowed. "Lucy?"

Maybe she was just concussed. Maybe…

"Lucy," he said, his voice sharp. "Answer me, damn it."

"Hey," her voice came over the headset, shaky. "I just got blown up. Give me a minute."

"Are you hurt?"

"No," she said, her voice unsteady.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said, but she wasn't. He could tell.

"Where are you bleeding?"

"I'm not-"

"Don't screw with me, Lucy, where did you get hit"'."

"My cheek," she said. "I'll probably have a nice scar.'

"Scars add character. Where else?"

"Thumped the back of my head."

Wilder swore. "Double vision? Dizziness-"

"J.T., a fucking car just blew up behind me. Dizzy, hell, I'm mad. What did that asshole think he was doing? He was going to kill Althea."

"He was creating a diversion," Wilder said, relieved that she was mad. "Probably supposed to keep me busy to give him time to get on the ship without me. I moved too soon."

"The ship's pretty much under the bridge."

"I know," Wilder said. "I'm on it." He looked to the right as his section of the ship cleared the bridge and saw two people dangling on ropes above the waiting speedboat. "Bryce and Althea got off the bridge." They re just not getting off the ropes.

"Are they okay?"

Wilder watched Bryce swing closer to Althea and fumble with her rigging. "Kind of."

"Kind of?"

Use the knife to cut her free, Wilder thought, and still Bryce fumbled.

Wilder went to the side of the ship, trying to keep an eye out for Nash and anything else that would kill him. He waved to get Bryce's attention, and by some miracle, after the fourth or fifth wave, Bryce looked over and stopped, stunned.

Wilder pulled out his knife and waved it at Bryce.

Bryce looked at his own knife.

That's good, Wilder thought, make the connection.

Bryce drew his knife and reached for Althea, and Wilder said a prayer to whoever protected fools and actors, put the sword back in the sheath, and went to look for Nash.

Hell, Lucy thought, as her head throbbed. Pepper. Damn it, I can't have a concussion, I have to get Pepper.

"You okay?" Gloom asked.

"Great," Lucy said and looked over the top of the truck bed.

The armored car was in burning pieces all over the bridge, its glow lighting up the center span.

"Get off the bridge," she said to Gloom. "Get everybody packed up and out of base camp. Get them away from this hellhole."

"I'll wait for you in the camper," Gloom said and started down the bridge, giving the burning car a wide berth.

Lucy headed for the rail. The ship was almost completely out from under the bridge now and J.T. was on it. Althea and Bryce were hanging by ropes over the side above the dark water, Bryce waving his knife at Althea in the shadows. No, really, trust Bryce, she thought and then sighed. Below them, Doc waited in the boat, as planned in the stunt as a safety, only the running lights on.

I hate you, too, she thought. Kidnapping bastard.

She straddled the railing and watched as Bryce cut the rope and he and Althea did the short drop into the water.

Don't look down, she thought. God, I hate irony. She clipped the rope to her vest and looked out into the darkness at the skyline as instructed. Then she took a deep breath, threw her other leg over the rail so she was on the river side, and pushed off, extending her brake arm as J.T. had taught her so that she descended a good fifty feet before bringing it in tight and coming to a halt, swinging on the rope.

Then she heard powerful engines rev below, thought, What the hell? and looked down.

No speedboat anymore, just a body in the water.

"No," she said and let go of her brake hand to slide off the rope into the water, hitting hard and shuddering at the cold as she went in. She swam toward the body-Doc-and rolled him over, relieved when he coughed and then worried again when he went limp as she supported him with her arm. It didn't make sense, Doc was one of the bad guys. Who-

She heard the helicopter coming in, which was a damn good thing since she was never going make it to shore with him. Her clothes were soaked and dragging her down, but she couldn't get them off without letting go of him, and if she did that, he'd go under. Even if he was part of the gang that had kidnapped Pepper, she couldn't let him go under.

Water splashed in her face from the blast of the blades overhead and she squinted, looking up. The helicopter was hovering just above them, slowly getting closer and closer.

The skid. It was right there, less than six inches above the water and two feet away. Lucy could see LaFavre in the darkness in the pilot's seat, grinning at her. He wasn't wearing his dark glasses this time but it made no difference as his eyes were covered by night-vision goggles bolted to his flight helmet.

She looped Doc's arm over the metal and then smacked him hard on the cheek. He came to and clutched the skid, more out of instinct than conscious thought, and Lucy grabbed hold of the skid with both hands and pulled herself up onto it. She reached down and grabbed Doc, pulling them both into the chopper to sprawl on the metal floor, where Doc promptly threw up half the river.

Lucy got to her knees as the helicopter lifted and looked at Karen in the back, her wrists handcuffed to a piece of chain, looking like hell.

"I swear, Lucy," she said over the rotor noise. "I didn't know he'd kidnap Pepper."

"Fuck you," Lucy said and took the handcuffs LaFavre indicated on the seat next to him. She cuffed Doc's hands behind his back and then let him fall forward again.

"No one was supposed to get hurt," Karen said, leaning forward, her face earnest. "No one was supposed to even know. That's what Nash told us."

"Well, he lied. And so did you. And then you tried to cut him out and it made him crazy. She leaned forward. I warned you about this when the skid broke. I told you he'd take you down. You stupid bitch, you could have stopped this and now he's got Pepper!"

Karen pulled back, and Lucy rolled Doc over with her foot so he wouldn't fall out if LaFavre banked. Then she climbed between the seats and sat beside LaFavre, who was already gaining altitude. "Did you see Bryce and Althea? Doc was supposed to pick them up but…"

LaFavre shook his head. "Probably on the speedboat. It's by the big ship."

"That's where we're going. We head for the ship and we get J.T. Go."

"Not the plan," LaFavre said.

"Fuck the plan."

He shook his head. "Trust J.T. We stand off, watch and wait for the call. This is about the little sweetie."

Lucy swallowed. "But he's out there alone."

"No, he's not," LaFavre said. "We're here." He nodded to a pair of binoculars hanging between them. "Take those. See if you can find him. It's light enough on that ship."

Lucy picked them up and trained them on the brightly lit ship. "I don't see him."

"Keep looking," LaFavre said, and Lucy leaned forward, her heart pounding as she searched.

Wilder wished he had his night-vision goggles but the ship had its lights on and there was a lot of glow from the bridge overhead, thanks to the burning car. He was pissed. On top of kidnapping Pepper, Nash had been more than willing to blow up Althea, Bryce, and Lucy. What the hell was worth that?

He moved across the top of the stacks of containers, finger on the trigger, wishing the goddamn SEALs would get there, knowing they wouldn't because they had goddamn orders and goddamn Crawford had them winging out toward goddamn Letsky while things were going to shit here.

Over the throb of the ship's engines, he heard a splash off the starboard side and knew he was very close to Nash's position. Another splash. Nash was offloading the cargo, probably for pickup by Doc in the speedboat. Then the boat would go to the rendezvous with the chopper. As long as Nash kept moving and didn't stop to check that the jade was in the boxes, it would work out. Wilder realized the whole cargo-net-on-the-bridge thing had been bullshit. Misdirection by Nash. He wouldn't need the net until the rendezvous. No wonder he was pissed that LaFavre had pointed that out.

Wilder gave a nervous glance to his rear, knowing the ghost might be keeping watch, ready to pick off anybody who interfered. He'd yet to play his hand, which was good since it upped the odds he was actually going to bring Pepper to the rendezvous. And somewhere ahead was Nash with his back pressed so hard against the wall, he was probably through it to the other side. And the other side was pure desperation. And desperate people were the most dangerous of all.

Wilder heard a speedboat cut through the water and thought, Nash's pickup. He worked his way around the last container to see the boat, hearing its engine cut before he got a good look.

It was a cigarette boat, the one favored by drug runners, sleek and fast, stopped now, and Bryce was on the fantail, picking up one of the boxes Nash had dropped. What the hell? Two more boxes were already in the boat, and while Wilder watched, Bryce reached for another one, working fast, faster than Wilder had ever seen him do anything.

Bryce is working with Nash? Wilder thought, dumbfounded.

The world really was screwed up. So much for wingmen.

Then his sat phone vibrated in his pocket, making him jump. God damn. Wilder kept the MP-5 in one hand and pulled it out with the other.

"Wilder," he hissed.

"We got him."

Wilder blinked. Despite the static, it had to be Crawford because no one else would send such a vague message. "Who?"

"Letsky. He put up a fight and we blew his yacht right out of the water. Mission accomplished."

"That's great but-" And then he heard the slightest of sounds behind him and he swung around, dropping the phone and bringing the MP-5 to bear on Nash and pulling the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He automatically began to clear and recock the gun but Nash slammed the stock of his own MP-5 against the side of Wilder's head, dropping him semiconscious to the deck.

"Removed the firing pin the first night you were in the hotel," Nash said. "Before Althea distracted you for me. So busy checking her gear, you never checked your own." He kicked the sat phone overboard.

Wilder blinked, trying to clear the fog, and looked up into Nash's crazed eyes. He could hear a helicopter coming close. Gotta move, he thought, but his body wouldn't obey.

"Got a vest, don't you, mate?" Nash said it almost matter-of-factly, dropping his submachine gun to the end of its sling and drawing his big-ass pistol with one smooth motion, faster than he had in the parking lot. And Wilder knew that Nash was just like him-had hot loads that would cut right through his body armor like going through butter.

"We've got your chopper," Wilder managed to croak out.

"You're a damn liar," Nash said and pulled the trigger.

"I've got Wilder," Lucy said, seeing him on the deck. "He's-" Then her glasses moved to take in Nash, who lifted his gun and fired a single shot, straight into J.T.'s chest. "NO!"

"What?" LaFavre asked.

"He shot him," Lucy screamed. "Get down there."

LaFavre swore beside her. "Who shot him? He has a vest, what-"

"Put me down on that ship. "

They were two minutes out, two minutes that lasted a lifetime for Lucy, who kept her glasses trained on J.T. sprawled unmoving on the deck and fucking Nash, who jumped over the side of the ship and clambered on board the speedboat, which roared away.

LaFavre brought the chopper in just above J.T., and Lucy jumped out, stumbling, her heart in her mouth. She ran to J.T., dropping down beside him when she reached him. "Damn it, you're not dead, you have your vest on." She tried to pull him upright and his head lolled back, but he was breathing, that was something, he was breathing. "Oh, God, don't die, I love you," she said, and held on to him, dragging him toward the chopper, not sure she was doing the right thing.

He coughed, and she thought, If he's got internal injuries, I'm killing him, but then he coughed again and grabbed on to her.

"Are you shot?" she said, supporting his weight. "Are you hurt?" Of course he's shot, you idiot, you saw it. "Can you make it to the chopper?"

She supported him as they lurched together toward it. Way upriver, she could see the disappearing wake of the speedboat heading for the swamp, Nash and his damn jade aboard. Well, he could have it as long as J.T. was all right and they got Pepper back. That was all that mattered, J.T. and Pepper.

She pulled J.T. over to the chopper and all but shoved him on, her adrenaline surging.

"Where's he hit?" LaFavre yelled over the rotors.

"He had his vest on," Lucy yelled back.

LaFavre shook his head. "Nash had a pistol. Those were hot loads. He's hit."

Lucy ripped off J.T.'s shirt and checked his vest as he tried to sit up. There was no sign of a bullet wound.

"What the hell?" LaFavre said to him. "Why aren't you dead?"

J.T. winced and tapped Bryce's knife. The leather sheath was split and the blade was bent to hell.

"Bet that hurt," LaFavre said, grinning.

"Bryce's stupid knife saved you?" Lucy said and swallowed back tears.

J.T. blinked at her. "No crying in Special Ops, Lucy, he said, his breath coming better now. He patted her on the back.

She nodded and swallowed again. Fucking Army asshole, you scared the hell out of me. "Nash got away." She blinked. "But we've got Doc and Karen."

"Throw 'em off," J.T. said, sitting up with great care.

"Into the water?" Lucy said, more than ready to.

"Onto the ship," J.T. said. "By the time they get out of the cuffs and find their way back to land, it'll be over."

LaFavre nodded and rolled a now semiconscious Doc out of the helicopter onto the deck of the ship. Doc hit the deck hard and swore, and Lucy thought, Good.

Karen looked up at LaFavre and smiled. "You thought I was pretty sweet once."

"That was before your buddies kidnapped a friend of mine." LaFavre dragged her to her feet and pushed her out, too, watching her stumble onto the deck, mad as hell. He turned to J.T. "I got the RV coordinates. I can drop you nearby, wait for your call for the trade."

J.T. nodded. "Do it."

Lucy strapped herself in beside him. "What's going on? I found Doc in the water. Who's driving the speedboat?"

"You are not going to believe that," J.T. said and put a headset on as LaFavre lifted off. "Where's the boat?"

"Out of sight," LaFavre said. "I'll head for the RV."

The helicopter gained altitude and Lucy looked down at Doc and Karen on the container ship. Good riddance.

Beside her, J.T. reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Proof of life," he told her.

Just get her back, Lucy thought and stared across the water as the swamp rushed toward them.

Tyler held the unconscious Kid in his lap as he revved the three-wheel ATV's engine and raced down the dirt track he'd scouted out through the swamp. He loved it when a plan came together. Even the improvising shit like snatching the Kid had worked out.

"Out-fucking-standing," Tyler screamed, the sound mixed with the sound of the engine echoing through the swamp. "I am The Man."

The cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he reluctantly brought the vehicle to a halt. "What now?" he demanded.

"Proof of life," the Stranger said.

"She's breathing," Tyler said. "All her fingers and toes. Still got her head."

"Proof of life. "

"Proof of helicopter," Tyler said, and then the Kid began to stir. "Hold on." He shook her a little to wake her up, her head wobbling back and forth. "Hey, Kid. Your pal's on the phone." He put the phone up next to her ear. "Talk."

"J.T.?" the Kid said, all her sass gone. "J.T!"she said and began to sob. She listened to him, gulping back tears. "Okay," she said and cried again.

Tyler took the phone back. "Helicopter. On the road where the first stunt was fucked up. By me. Great shot to that skid, eh?" He clicked off the phone before the Stranger could say anything. He'd been bitched at enough today. "You hang on," he told the Kid. "You fall off, the gators can have you."

Then he revved the engine, racing along the berm that paralleled the Savannah River, heading for the RV point, with the Kid clutching him and crying.

Finally, it was all coming together. There was going to be money, lots of it. And women, lots of them.

Everybody's gonna want a piece of me, he thought and leaned forward, triumphant.

Wilder shut off Lucy's phone and looked over at her, trying to look calm instead of insane with fury. "Pepper's all right." He turned to LaFavre, who had the chopper in a hover about fifty feet above the river and to the ease of the Talmadge while he checked the glowing screen of the GPS.

"Got the bridge as a waypoint, naturally," LaFavre said. "Also got a spot uprivcr. Near the old bridge."

Wilder nodded, putting Peppers misery out of his mind. This was why they had done the hill-out-of-the-helicopter stunt there and why Karen had been punching in the waypoint. It had been a rehearsal for their linkup after the heist. A boat could pull up right to that berm at the spot where the chopper would land. "That's the rendezvous point. Let's go." He glanced at Lucy and gave her a smile, trying not to think about Pepper's sobs.

"Roger that," LaFavre said. He banked the chopper and they flew under the bridge, heading upstream.

"Okay," Wilder said. "Here's the plan."